Digital BW, The Print

Daniel, you wrote:


> > Does it handle printer files up to 500 MB ?
>
> I don't think the size of the print matters - I've printed
300-400mb
> files from Photoshop to QTR, but it's very slow compared to
printing
> locally with the Epson driver. This is partly because I'm
running my
> Linux server inside a virtual PC on my Windows computer, which
is much
> slower than a real PC.

I've had my share of bad luck with Epson 9000 drivers on 2000 and
XP, the longer the chain, the more spooling done in between makes
the chance that there is something printed less and less. The RIP
being the exception as Windows doesn't get a chance to interfere
in that setup.

> > It then
> > becomes a long chain, I'm not so keen about that. I guess
> > part of Qimage's better interpolation will not survive that
> > translation either. Isn't there a possibility to throw a raw
> > (tiff) directly from Qimage that the driver can handle ?
> > Print from Qimage to a hot map or something like that.
>
> You certainly could set up a Perl script or something that
continously
> checked a folder for incoming files and processed them once
they
> arrived, that's easy. The question is how do you want them to
be
> processed?

The RIP that I have can tag the hot map to a certain printer
and/or printer setting.

> > Postscript isn't always the best way on colour management
either
>
> In this case I think that's uncharted territory. I haven't read
about
> anyone who specifically tested printing from a color-managed
application
> in Windows to CUPS on Linux.
>
> Since you mention color management, are you thinking about
using this as
> a color RIP? or are you talking about quadtone profiling? If
you were to
> use QTR I would assume you'd want to switch off all color
management and
> leave that to the QTR curves/profiles?

If there's a print server I would like it to handle all the
printing that has to be done. 3 systems to do the scanning,
editing, printing work is my limit. As long as Linux doesn't have
more CM than a plugin in the GIMP I would think that loading
Gimp-print with P2P treated Tiffs would be the best way to do it
if it has to be Linux.

> > Wonder whether my friend can add something to Roy's concept
> > so the whole becomes a bit more "salon faehig". Reading Roy's
> > latest additions it is at its core better than anything else.
> > But Roy's time will be limited.
>
> Agreed, what's needed is usability, ease-of-use and interface
> improvements, other than that it's got pretty much everything
we want.


Ernst